Carrie Underwood, ‘Two Black Cadillacs’ – Song Review

Carrie Underwood used Twitter to announce that her new single would be ‘Two Black Cadillacs,’ the darkest song on a delightfully stormy new album called ‘Blown Away.’ The lyric pushes the normally plucky country superstar to the edge of evil. It’s as far as she can go without falling off the cliff of believability.

‘Two Black Cadillacs’ will draw comparisons to ‘Goodbye Earl’ from the Dixie Chicks or even ‘Gunpowder and Lead’ by Miranda Lambert. Underwood’s mid-tempo husband killer isn’t as empowering as those hits, however. It’s theater that stays on stage.

“Two black Cadillacs driving in a slow parade / Headlights shining bright in the middle of the day / One is for his wife / The other for the woman who loved him at night / Two black Cadillacs meeting for the first time,” she sings to begin the song. The radio single is unlikely to include the minute-long instrumental tail that takes the cut to over five minutes on the album.

A strong chorus keeps the story from wearing thin after repeated listens. Vocally, Underwood is brilliant as always, and lyrically, she, Hillary Lindsey and Josh Kear have penned a tight story. Like a good movie, however, it is susceptible to fatigue unless there are one or two great scenes to return to. The chorus is that scene.

“And the preacher said he was a good man / And his brother said he was a good friend / But the women in the two black veils didn’t bother to cry.”

The song’s best lines come late:

“It was the first and the last time they saw each other face to face / They shared a crimson smile and just walked away / And left the secret at the grave.”

Musically, the arrangement is made to fit the story. A piano trickles during the introduction before more brooding strings and guitar take over. Compared to Underwood’s other hits, this song doesn’t stand out after one digests the macabre storyline. So, maybe it’ll only sell a million singles and reach No. 2.

Listen to Carrie Underwood, ‘Two Black Cadillacs’

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